Alexa
by Em2017
Summary: Edward had a twin sister who, by some miracle, didn't catch the Spanish Influenza in 1918. After years of thinking her entire family is dead, Alexa runs into her long lost brother and realizes the truth. This is her story. Spin-off of The Foster. Takes place in 1918 until after The Foster. Rated M for some sexual content and language
1. Normal Day

**Rating**

**M for language, violence, and sexual content. **

***Disclaimer: I do not own the original characters from the Twilight Saga! They belong to the great Stephenie Meyer!***

**Here is the first chapter of **_**Alexa**_**! Enjoy!**

**Chapter One: Normal Day (AlexaPOV)**

"Edward! Come on! We're going to be late!" I yelled up the stairs to my- annoying- twin brother. At least, that's what our parents told us. I didn't believe them.

"I'm coming, Lexie! Stop yelling." he chastised, bounding down the stairs with his backpack over his shoulder.

I stuck my tongue out at him, and he laughed. "Let's go to school." he muttered.

"Okay. Mother, Father! We are leaving!" I yelled, not knowing where they were.

Our mother, Elizabeth, came from the kitchen and into the foyer, wiping her hands clean on the apron she wore around her waist. Her bronze hair was pulled away from her face, allowing you to see her brilliant emerald eyes and amazing smile. Edward and I looked exactly like her- the only differences being that my hair was naturally curly, and you couldn't do anything with Edward's. Oh, that, and Edward was a man.

Mother embraced me gently and kissed my forehead before going over and repeating the sequence with Edward. "Be careful, okay? Lexie, are you coming straight home tonight or staying for study hall?"

Every Friday I'd stay at our high school to tutor younger children. It had always been something I loved- helping children, and I'd hoped to be a second grade teacher after I finished my schooling.

"I will be coming home. Marie is sick- her Mother told me yesterday."

"With what?" Mother asked, concerned.

"Her mother says that the doctor thinks it's the Spanish Influenza. But they are not sure yet." I answered.

The Spanish Influenza had been going around our hometown of Chicago as of late, and for right now, there was no cure.

Mother looked alarmed. "Do you feel well?" She put her cold hand to my cheek.

I laughed and took her palm off my face. "Mother, I'm fine."

"Okay… Come straight home, then, okay?" She turned to head back into the kitchen.

"Okay, Mother," Edward and I spoke at the same time. We looked over at each other and laughed.

Mother laughed along with us. "Okay, children. Go, go! You're going to be late if you don't start walking."

Edward and I walked out of our house and headed down the block to our school- West Chicago High School.

"What are your plans for today?" I asked him. No matter the fact that we were brother and sister, we were best friends, trusting no one else as much as we trusted the other. I told everything to Edward- well, most everything. There were just some things that a girl had to keep private. We had other friends, our own groups if you will, but we always sat at lunch together, on days that I didn't tutor we walked home at the same time. We were two peas in a pod- where you saw one, you'd most likely find the other.

Both of us were in all higher level classes than the rest of our close friends, so we had most of our classes together. That came in handy in case one of us forgot about a homework assignment.

Though I was a daddy's girl, my older brother was a close second. My mother and I were like best friends as well, but not as close as Edward and I were. And all of our family understood that. My brother came first, and I came first to him. End of story.

Edward shrugged in answer to my question. "Nothing, really." he answered. "We just have to study tonight for that biology test tomorrow… But that's it."

I nodded. "I studied some last night, but not as much as I probably should have."

He laughed. "Lexa, you could not study at all and still pass the test with flying colors!"

I shrugged and smiled. "That's true."

He knocked his shoulder into me. "Don't go getting a big head there, now, Sister." he laughed. "Well. An even bigger head, I should say." he laughed.

"Hey! Just because I know I can do certain things better than most people, doesn't mean that I have a big head!"

"Oh, yeah? What does it mean then?" He cocked his eyebrow at me.

"That I know what I'm talking about." I grinned.

He shook his head, rolled his eyes, and laughed, but didn't reply, for we had entered school property and were now being bombarded by our friends.

Catherine Woods was the first to approach me. She was blonde, had blue eyes, and her father was rich, so she always wore good quality dresses. But you'd never be able to tell that she was from money unless you'd been to her house. She doesn't act like she's the one everyone should be like. The exact opposite, actually. We had been friends since we were five, after she moved here from Atlanta.

Michelle Jones was next. She had light brown hair with dark brown eyes. She was middle class and actually grew up right down the street from where we lived, so we grew up together. Also considering she had a twin brother like I did, and was close to him- just not as much as Edward and I- the four of us always got together since there was no "odd-man-out," as you could say.

Edward's friends consisted of Michael Jones- Michelle's twin brother- and Clayton Williams. Both were middle class, and were really nice. Michael look like the boy version of Michelle, while Clayton looked more like Catherine, though, as far as they knew, they weren't related.

"Lexie, did you hear about-" Catherine started.

This is how it went every morning: Catherine would give me the days' events, who to look out for, what happened the night before, etcetera. How she figured out what had happened after school the day before was beyond me, but at least I knew who to go to whenever I needed to know if something was true or not.

The events she told me about were nothing but unusual. Nathaniel Benton was a very well-known man. He came from a known family; he was one of the wealthy families considering his father worked as a lawyer in a firm downtown. Nathaniel was well liked and girls always fawned over him. He had brown hair, and blue eyes; very handsome. For as long as I could remember, he'd only dated one girl in his life, and that was Marie Brooks. From what I'd heard, they grew up together, and even before they started courting, people considered them together. Marie looked a lot like Catherine, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and an overall pretty face. Her father worked for Nathaniel's in the same firm, so it was no wonder they were so close. Even though it appeared that they were close to the idea of marriage, they had called off the courtship.

Well, Nathaniel had.

"As far as I know, _they're_ the only ones who know why it was called off. Their parents didn't like it, but apparently, Nathaniel has been asking for them to just be friends for a spell, now." Catherine summarized. "Marie's probably heartbroken."

Edward, who was still standing beside me, commented. "Don't you think that it's easier he tell her now, instead of waiting until they're married? At least he's being honest about thinking that he can't marry somebody who is more of a friend than anything else."

"I agree." I nodded. "It saves a lot of heartache for later. I'm sorry for her, though. They seemed like a great couple." I'd never really spoken to Marie or Nathaniel, but I did know that they had everything I wanted in a relationship: humor, love, and being able to spend time together without touching or making lovey-dovey eyes at the other.

The bell rang to alert us to start heading to class. Michelle came up on the other side of me and placed my arm in the crook of her elbow. "You know what this means, don't you, Lexie?" she asked cheerfully. When I made it clear that I had no idea what she was talking about, she clarified. "How long have Catherine and I told you that you two would be an amazing couple?"

I shook my head with a laugh. "At least ten thousand. But, it's not going to happen."

"Why not?" they both whined.

"Why does it matter so much to you?"

"Because you'd be perfect together!" they both whisper-shout.

"Ten thousand and one," I muttered.

"Can we please stop talking about who my sister would be, 'perfect' with?" Edward said, coming up behind me. "It's kind of freaking me out."

Us girls laughed.

"Nobody's asking you to listen, Edward." I told him.

He rolled his eyes but had a smile on his lips.

The rest of the day continued slowly. Classes dragged on, studying for tests and finishing up on classwork. A normal day.

Little did I know that it would be the last "normal day" for a while.

**A/N: I know, short, but this is just the start. The chapters **_**will**_ **get longer, possibly longer than **_**The Foster.**_ **Number of chapters will definitely be longer than **_**The Foster, **_**because, let's face it, going from 1918 to years after Nessie remembers everything is gonna take a while, lol. There will be time skips though, so we're not going to go through all 97 years there are to fill. **

**That's all for me, so, thank you for reading! See you next chapter!  
>Please Review!<strong>

**Laters,**

**~Em**


	2. Sickness All Around Me

**A/N: Here's the second chapter. Thank you to: **_**immortalman18, TwilightVampireGirl12, **_**and **_**Guest**_ **for your reviews! I know the ones I could, I sent you a sneak-peek to this chapter, but I ended up changing it a little bit, so the snippet I sent you is a **_**little**_ **different than the one that made it to this chapter. I'm hoping to have Chapter 3 up later today, if not tomorrow, as it is already written. Ironically enough, I spent all day yesterday writing Chapter 3, even though I knew I needed to write this one. I'm a weird writer, what can I say? Anyway, that's all I got, so… Enjoy!**

***Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Twilight Saga!***

**Chapter Two: Sickness All Around Me (APOV)**

The next morning was just as normal as the last.

Edward yelled for me to come down before we left, I teased him, Mother kissed our foreheads and pushed us out the door. We walked to school talking about the Biology test today and met up with our friends where we got the gist of what happened the night before.

Then all that "normalcy" vaporized.

At lunch, Principal Mann came and got us. The look on his face didn't express anything good, so I knew something was wrong. As did Edward.

"There is no easy way to say this, so I'll just come out and say it. Your father has been hospitalized."

I clung to Edward's arm.

"What?" he gasped.

"He collapsed during a meeting today… Some of his colleagues took him to the hospital. Your mother called and asked me if you could get out of your afternoon classes, and I told her yes. Go get your work from the rest of your teachers, then head to the hospital. Should you not get to come back for a while, I'll send your work myself. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, sir."

"You're welcome."

Since the rest of our classes were classes we took together, Edward accompanied me to retrieve my work. We had taken the Biology test already, so that was one less thing to worry about. After receiving our work for the day, and pitying glances throughout, we headed to the hospital.

It was about a ten minute walk from the school, and silence filled the air around us. Even the city was silent. Maybe it was just the shock of what was happening that made it seem that way… I guess I'll never know.

We arrived at the hospital after what felt like hours. My hand was still gripped in Edward's- the only thing that held me up.

Mother was waiting for us in the waiting room, tears running down her face.

"Do they know what's wrong?" my brother asked.

Mother nodded sadly, more tears spilling from her eyes. "It's the Spanish Influenza. We are not allowed to see him."

My free hand went to my mouth.

"The Spanish Influenza? Are you sure?" Edward asked hastily.

Mother nodded yet again. "The symptoms are the same. I knew he didn't feel well this morning, but I never thought it to be this bad… He told me he had a meeting, and if he felt worse afterwards he'd come home…" she sobbed.

"It's not your fault, Mother," Edward reasoned. "You couldn't have known."

We sat down, waiting on news. After about an hour, a doctor came to update us. He was young, blonde, and, dare I say, handsome.

"Mrs. Masen?" he asked Mother gently.

She sniffed, and stood up, grasping my brother's arm. "Please, call me Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth, I'm Dr. Cullen, your husband's doctor. Am I to assume these are your children?" he asked.

"Yes… My son Edward Junior, and Alexa."

Dr. Cullen addressed Edward and me this time. "Nice to meet you, though I wish it was on better circumstances."

"You and me both, Dr. Cullen." Edward replied.

I just smiled gently.

"Elizabeth, your husband has the Spanish Influenza, as I'm sure someone has already told you?" he said in the form of a question. He pulled out a small notepad and pen from his coat pocket.

"Yes," Mother's voice broke.

"How long has he complained of being ill?"

"Never. He never complained… I was shocked when I got the call today."

Dr. Cullen nodded, and wrote something down. "Has he _looked _ill?"

Mother thought for a moment then shook her head. "Not that I've seen…"

"Can you go through your daily schedule? I need to know how much you and your children have come in contact with him."

"We get up about five o'clock every morning and I make breakfast while he showers… The kids get up about seven and get ready for school. My husband eats and then goes off to work about 7:30, and then Alexa and Edward Junior leave at 7:45. Edward Senior comes home around five o'clock, eats dinner then goes to bed." Mother relayed.

Dr. Cullen continued writing whatever Mother said. "Mr. Masen is a lawyer, correct?"

Mother nodded. "Yes."

"Alright. That's all I needed. You can go see your husband now, but I'm afraid that not all of you can go in at the same time. How old are you?" Dr. Cullen asked Edward and me.

"We're seventeen, Sir." Edward answered respectfully.

"Then I'd rather if you and your sister stayed here. It seems as though the virus is more fatal for people in and around your age."

"That's alright, Sir. Mother, go on in… I'll take Alexa home."

"Okay. Thank you, Edward. I'll be home later."

Edward nodded and kissed her cheek. "Come on, Alexa."

I nodded back at him and hugged Mother, squeezing her gently. "Goodbye."

Mother didn't make it home until late that night. Edward had decided to stay up and wait for her, wanting to make sure she made it home okay. I was exhausted, but decided to do the same.

"Alexa, please, go on to sleep. I can wait for her myself. You're not even awake, really. Just sleep walking." Edward chastised me.

"I'm fine." I assured him. "I don't want you to be sitting by yourself waiting for her to come home… When do visiting hours at the hospital end?"  
>"I do not know… We've never had a relative in the hospital long enough to know when the visiting hours ended." He ran a hand through his unruly hair.<p>

"Right…"

Sometime after that I must've fallen asleep. One minute Edward and I were up listening to the radio, not really paying attention to what was being said, just taking comfort in the voices that filled the house. The next, I was being shaken.

"Alexa… Darling, go on and go to bed. It's late." Mother whispered in my ear.

"I've got her, Mother." Edward's voiced soothed, and then I felt arms under me.

"What are you doing?" I grumbled sleepily into his shirt.

"I don't trust that you could make it up the stairs the way you are right now." Edward chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm just taking you to your room and then you can sleep the whole- rest of the night away."

"What time is it?" I muttered.

"Eleven. I'm not for sure how you are so tired, but…"

I was out before he finished his sentence.

We didn't go back to school the next day.

Michael and Michelle brought mine and Edward's work from all of our teachers, even the ones we didn't have together. People brought over enough baked goods to last us a year, and shared stories about my father. Mother had left early this morning, leaving before Edward and I woke up. Our guess was to go back to the hospital.

I made breakfast with Edward's help. Nothing fancy like Mother would have made, just some scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. We sat and picked at the small amount on our plates for an hour before clearing the table and washing the dishes.

We, once again, found comfort in the radio as we played a harmless game of poker. We didn't pay any attention to who was winning. Depression clung to us like air.

Like the night before, Mother made it home late, only this time, I waited up with Edward until she arrived. Her eyes were bloodshot, as if she'd been crying for hours. Perhaps she had. After all, her husband of eighteen years was dying.

All I felt was numb. I hadn't cried yet… Maybe I was in shock. I'd read somewhere that some people go through shock when something bad happens. Right?

The next few days pass without any incidents.

Edward and I still hadn't returned to school- Michael and Michelle continued to bring us our work on a daily basis, and food still made it's way into our house. Mother still leaves early in the morning and comes back late at night. Dr. Cullen still doesn't allow us in the room, so Edward and I normally don't go to the hospital with her, just on rare occasions.

We cleaned the house from top to bottom, awaiting the arrival of Mother. It was late once again, eleven o'clock. Mother had told us that visiting hours were over at ten thirty, and she grabbed a small dinner in the cafeteria before she came home. She hadn't really spoken to us since the day Father was hospitalized, just brief conversations after she came home. Edward and I understood, though.

A week later, the unimaginable happened. My father was proclaimed dead after just a few days of being ill with the Spanish Influenza. A funeral was held, yet more food was brought to us, and all the while I didn't cry a single tear. It was if all my emotions were gone.

Mother stayed in bed all day everyday after the funeral. Edward and I took care of ourselves, cooking, cleaning, and making sure Mother ate. What we thought was grief, turned to be the disease that killed her husband.

Mother was hospitalized three days after Father's funeral. Since Edward and I were the only family she had left, Dr. Cullen allowed us to go into her room to keep her company. It was hard, watching the woman who you spent your entire life with die. Again, it was like my emotions were turned off with a flip of a switch. I felt nothing, even as I watched my only living parent die.

Four days into Mother's hospital stay, I was getting ready to go to the hospital to spend the day with her. I made a light breakfast, because it didn't take long for Edward and I to realize just how awful the food at the hospital was.

By the time we normally leave for school, Edward still hadn't come down from his room, and I was starting to get worried. _Normally_, he was the one yelling at _me_ to come down before we're late. And he wasn't doing that.

"I'm going to check on him." I whispered to myself, putting my empty glass of orange juice in the sink and heading to the stairs. I reached Edward door and knocked. "Edward? It's time to go… Are you ready?"

I got no answer.

I knocked again. "Edward, come on. Mother's expecting us."

Again, no answer.

"Edward?" I called out, and opened the door.

He was laying in bed, his blankets pulled up to his chin. His back was to be, but I could tell that even with the blanket that cocooned him, he was still shivering. I walked over to him, walking around the bed so he'd see me. His face was covered in a light layer of sweat, and he was pale. I took my hand and placed it on his forehead, feeling for a fever. His skin was _hot_.

_No. Not him… Please, not him. _

**A/N: I wanted to hurry up and get to Alexa's life **_**after **_**her family dies, 'cause that's where we're going to spend most of our time. But, don't worry, we'll get to know the brother and sister's relationship later on!**

**Please review!**

**~Em**


	3. Last One Standing

**A/N: Thank you, **_**MACMONKEY,**_ **for your review! This one's short, but, like I said before, it'll get longer. Thank you to everyone who's followed, favorited, reviewed, even read this story! I appreciate it so, **_**so**_ **much! All mistakes are mine! Enjoy!**

***I do NOT own the Twilight Saga!***

**Chapter Three: Last One Standing (APOV)**

Nothing was normal anymore.

I spent more time in the hospital than anybody else I knew. Dr. Cullen was now Carlisle. Even though I stressed that he could call me Lexie, he called me Alexa.

"If your parents wanted to call you Lexie, then they wouldn't have named you Alexa." he'd say.

At the beginning, Carlisle would help me with homework that Michelle brought me, but but that was before everyone got scared that if they came around me, then they'd catch the disease killing my family. Even after classwork stopped coming, though, he'd make up math problems and tell me to give him the answer. I may have been a Daddy's Girl before Father got sick, but that didn't mean he was the _best_ father in the world. Lately, Carlisle, as much as I hated to admit it, felt more like my father in one week then Edward Senior did in seventeen years.

I was becoming fascinated with the thought of medicine. How it worked, how the disease could suddenly disappear if you take a dose of it… I'd never thought of myself as a doctor, but now, the thought appealed to me.

I was sitting with Carlisle beside Mother's bedside, watching her sleep. I had no work to do, and Carlisle wasn't quizzing me at the moment, but it didn't bother me as much as it would have a week ago. No work meant more time spent with my family.

While I still could.

Mother was getting worse. Carlisle didn't expect her to last until morning. He said the virus had taken its toll on her body, leaving it tired and void… Almost lifeless. _Almost_.

"Three weeks ago… Everything was fine." I murmured to him quietly. "I grew up hearing the saying: 'your life can change in the blink of an eye'... I just… Never thought it would really happen." I gripped Mother's pale, clammy hand.

Carlisle stood behind me, gripping my shoulder. "I know… I know."

"If they die...I'll have no one. I have distant relatives, but I've never met them… My friends are terrified I'll get them sick…" I shook my head. "It's not fair." For the first time in weeks, tears blurred my vision.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." he assured me. "You're a smart girl, Alexa. Everything you're going through will just make you more of an exceptional human being."

"I don't _want_ to be exceptional if it means losing my family!" I cried. "All my life, I could count on at least three people to be there for me- Mother, Father, and Edward. Now, because of some _stupid _disease, I'm losing _everything_."

"No, you're not. Do you really think you family would want to see you like this?" he asked calmly.

I sniffed and shook my head.

"That's right- they wouldn't." He came to crouch in front of me, looking me in the eyes. "Imagine the situation in reverse. Instead of your brother being sick, you were. Would you want him to be saying these things?"

I shook my head again.

"Exactly. Would you want to see _him_ crying?"

"No," I whispered.

"Then stop believing in everything bad happening to you. Your life won't stay this way forever, Alexa. It'll look up eventually."

"Things should've never looked down." I muttered stubbornly, wiping tears from my cheeks.

"Everyone's life looks down at points. You just have to be strong enough to lift your gaze up again. I know for a fact you're strong enough, Alexa."

That was the problem- he thought I was. He was the doctor. I should've believed him.

I didn't.

My mother was dead.

Since Carlisle didn't believe that she'd make it to morning, he allowed me to stay in her room that night. He brought updates concerning Edward while I sat by my mother's side as she breathed her last breath.

Judging by the way things were going, I'd be an orphan by the end of the week.

I stayed at Edward's side the next day. He was always unconscious, now. I never thought that I'd never see his emerald green eyes again, though. No matter how bad the situation seemed.

Eventually, Carlisle made me go downstairs to get something to eat. After half an hour of arguing him about it, I relented and gave up five minutes of being by Edward's side to grab a sandwich and lemonade.

After a day of doing nothing, I fell asleep with my knees to my chest. Some time in the night, I wake up to Carlisle.

"Go back to sleep," he murmured, and I saw him grab a blanket from a tiny closet in the corner of the room. He came back towards me, gently throwing the blanket over top of my body. The smell of antiseptic and death filled my nose, but it was a smell that I'd grown used to, so I didn't mind.

The next morning, I woke up knowing that something was different- wrong. My eyes fell onto the now empty bed.

No.

No, no, no. _No!_

I got up and ran to the door, colliding into Carlisle as I did so.

"Alexa…"

"Please… Tell me he's not…" I sobbed.

Carlisle's mouth thinned into a straight line, his eyes grew grim, and he nodded slowly. "I'm so, so sorry Alexa."

"No. No… No… No…" I kept repeating the same word over and over, in my head and out loud.

My confidante… My best friend… My _brother…_

_Gone_.

_Vanished._

Not here now, and never to come back.

I'm all alone.

The last one standing.

I spent the rest of the day in the arms of the doctor who'd become my family.

**A/N: What'd ya think? Review and let me know! Plus, if you review, I'll give ya a sneak peek! **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Please review!**

**Laters,**

**~Em**


	4. Starts With Goodbye

**A/N: Thank you **_**MACMONKEY **_**for your review! You're so sweet! As of now, I have no **_**for sure**_ **updating schedule… I just update as soon as the chapter is finished, so updates may be a little sporadic, but I'll let you know if it gets that way. I've been really good this week writing the chapter and then posting it, but I don't know how long that'll last. As soon as I come up with one, I'll let you know. All mistakes are mine! Enjoy!**

***Disclaimer: I do not own the song which the chapter is named, or the Twilight Saga!***

**Chapter Four: Starts With Goodbye (APOV)**

Going home by myself was surreal.

According to Lyndon Michaels, a lawyer who worked with my father, I'd gained everything my parents had before their passing. Originally, half would've went to Edward, but since he was gone to, the money, the house, the wedding china, was mine.

I didn't think my family as being rich. I was always under the impression that we were comfortable. Nothing too poor, nothing too rich. But we were. Even more so than Catherine. I had enough money to be doing fine until the '30's- twenty two years from now.

Carlisle had given me a small bag of my family's things: Mother and Father's wedding rings, pictures that had been stuffed inside pockets for way too long, and Edward's watch that Grandfather had given him on our fifteenth birthday.

Their bedroom doors remained shut, and I knew they'd stay that way until I gathered enough strength to open them. For now, though, I had another funeral to plan.

In the middle of picking out the flowers, there was a knock on the door. I got up from the kitchen table and went to answer it. Standing on the porch was Catherine and Michelle, each holding a container.

"We just heard." Catherine said.

"I am so sorry, Lexie." Michelle added.

I didn't say anything, but moved from my spot in the doorway. They came inside slowly and set the food on the small table beside the door. Then, they pulled me into a hug.

We didn't speak a word.

I clung to them for the support they offered.

They were all I had left.

Eventually I pulled away from them and remembered my manners.

"Do- umm… Do you want anything to drink?" I stuttered, walking back into the kitchen and started stacking the funeral arrangement flyers neatly.

"No, thank you." they both answered, and I only nodded.

"Do you need help?" Catherine asked suddenly. "Planning the-" she cut herself off.

"I've done it before." I replied quietly. Edward and I had helped Mother plan Father's.

"Alexa… It's okay to ask for help. Sometimes you need it." Michelle assured me.

I just nodded.

Michelle sighed and sat down at the table. She took the stack of papers from my hands and spread them back out. "Where were you before we interrupted?"

"Flowers," I whispered.

"What were you thinking?" Catherine asked quietly, sitting across from Michelle. I still stood behind a chair.

I shrugged.

"Did your mother have a favorite flower? I doubt Edward did…"

"Lilies." I answered suddenly. "They had lilies at their wedding."

"Perfect choice." she smiled.

After two days of planning with the help of Catherine and Michelle, it was time to say goodbye.

Both girls had been staying at my house to keep me company. We spent the nights on the couch with blankets and the radio as we waited for sleep to catch us. They were already ready by the time I woke that morning. They'd made breakfast, though we didn't have the need to cook. If I thought we got a lot of food after Father's death, this was enough to feed an army.

Michelle made sure I was dressed in my best black dress, a dress I'd been wearing often as of late. I don't remember the act of dressing, just the feel of the fabric as it glossed over my skin. By noon, we were on our way to the church, twenty minutes before the ceremony.

I stood at the door and numbly greeted guests as people came while trying my best not to look at the two closed coffins that sat in the front of the room. Carlisle hadn't wanted me to have to take care of making sure the funeral home had the… bodies… of my mother and brother, so he took care of it. I was okay with that.

Everyone I knew came. Teachers, doctors, lawyers, friends, distant family members who hadn't seen me since I was a baby, and most importantly, Carlisle.

I hadn't seen him come in, for I was lost in conversation with one of Mother's friends. He came up behind me and tapped on my shoulder.

"You're here." I said, and gave him a hug.

"Of course I came." he replied. "I couldn't _not _come. How are you doing? Really?"

I shrugged. "I haven't really been alone. Two of my friends have been staying with me… Helped me with this, even, so…"

"I understand." he said quietly. "I'm going to go sit down. Come find me if you need anything, okay?"

I nodded and he walked away.

"Who was that?" Catherine asked coming to a standstill beside me.

"Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He was their doctor."

"Oh. He doesn't look old enough to be a doctor."

"But he is." I stated and turned back to the door just as Nathaniel came walking up the stoop. Immediately, I was transported back to the last day I saw him.

**FLASHBACK:**

_The bell rang to alert us to start heading to class. Michelle came up on the other side of me and placed my arm in the crook of her elbow. "You know what this means, don't you, Lexie?" she asked cheerfully. When I made it clear that I had no idea what she was talking about, she clarified. "How long have Catherine and I told you that you two would be an amazing couple?" _

_I shook my head with a laugh. "At least ten thousand. But, it's not going to happen."_

"_Why not?" they both whined. _

"_Why does it matter so much to you?"_

"_Because you'd be perfect together!" they both whisper-shout._

"_Ten thousand and one," I muttered. _

"_Can we please stop talking about who my sister would be, 'perfect' with?" Edward said, coming up behind me. "It's kind of freaking me out." _

_Us girls laughed. _

"_Nobody's asking you to listen, Edward." I told him._

_He rolled his eyes but had a smile on his lips._

**END FLASHBACK**

"Alexa, I am so sorry." A voice brought me out of the past. Nathaniel stood in front of me, a somber gaze in his eyes.

"Oh, umm… Thank you." I stutter. _How did he know my name? We've never spoke!_

"My aunt died last week from the Influenza… Of course, losing one person is different from losing your entire family, but…" he rambled.

I squinted and nodded a little. "Yes…"

"I'm sorry." he repeated. "I'm not usually like this." He ran a hand through his hair, once again reminding me of Edward.

"Not like what?"

"_This_. Nervous. I don't normally ramble, either." he replied.

"Oh…" I looked away. _This got awkward fast._

"Alexa, come on. They're getting ready to start." Michelle called for me.

"Oh… Um… Okay. Well, I'll talk to you later, okay?" I said to Nathaniel, suddenly wanting to continue talking to him.

He nodded. "Sure. I'll find you… After."

I nodded again, turned to go back with Michelle, and took a deep breath. Walking into the main hall, I could only see the two coffins in front of me. I couldn't look away, _knowing_ that my mother and brother were laying in there, rotting. Not breathing. _Knowing_ that I'll never see them again. I couldn't even be happy that they were with Father, now. All I knew, all I could _think_ of, was that I was alone. They're gone.

Gone.

I didn't realize that I'd stopped walking. I couldn't hear Michelle's voice urging me to walk again, telling me that it'll be okay. None of that mattered.

Until I heard the voice that helped me through this from the start.

"Alexa. Remember what I told you." Carlisle whispered in my ear. "You can get through this."

I was shaking my head before he even finished. "No… No… No… I can't, Carlisle, I can't."

"Yes, you can. You have to. You're strong enough for this, Alexa. Way stronger than anyone gives you credit for. I know for a fact that they didn't want to leave you. You should know that, too. Do this for them."

I took a deep breath. "They may've not done it on purpose, but they're still gone. They're still…" I couldn't finish my thought.

"What did I tell you that day, Alexa? Would they want to see you like this?"

I slowly shook my head, still not looking at him.

"Exactly. They wouldn't. They would want you to live your life. You're the only one who knows what you're going through. You lost something unimaginable- something you can't get back. But that doesn't mean-"

"Everything will stay this way." I finished quietly. "I know."

"You do know. That's what makes you stronger than anybody else. How I know you can get through this."

I bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears that clouded my vision. "I don't think I can, Carlisle." I whispered brokenly.

"You can, Alexa. You can."

I finally switched my gaze from the coffins to him. His gold eyes stood behind his accusation- he did believe I could get through this.

"You can." he whispered again.

I ducked my head down and looked at the floor for a moment. Then, I raised my head to look him in the eye. "I'm scared." my voice broke.

He chuckled grimly. "I know you are. But, frankly, I would've been more concerned if you weren't. Being afraid is normal, Alexa."

There was that word again- _normal_. I didn't like that word.

"Nothing is normal, anymore, Carlisle. Nothing." I stated numbly.

"Not now. Eventually, you'll gain a routine that'll seem normal. But it won't happen immediately. Take it in stride, Alexa. Day by day."

I remained quiet, soaking in everything he was saying.

"Are you ready?" he asked gently.

I stood quietly for a few more moments, then nodded.

"Okay. Let's go." He offered me his elbow, and I clung to him.

He led us to a nearly empty pew in the front of the room. When he tried to go back to his original seat, I shook my head. "Please, stay."

He looked at me for a second, then nodded.

Then it started.

The walk from the funeral home to the cemetery was worse than the walk to go sit down.

Carlisle still allowed me to cling to his arm, Catherine and Michelle walked on the other side of me, and the rest of the guests followed behind. The two caskets were in front of us on a horse drawn carriage.

The plot on which we were to bury Mother and Edward was a family plot. They were right beside Father's grave, which still hadn't settled. Holes had already been dug six feet deep, and a big pile of dirt sat beside each one.

Men helped each other get the caskets off the carriage- Mother's cousin Layton, father's friend Lyndon, Nathaniel and his father, Catherine and Michelle's fathers, Michael, plus my Biology and English teachers. They took the coffins from the little box of a carriage and into the ground the way I'd asked- Mother beside Father, Edward beside Mother.

"Alexa?" the minister called gently. "Do you want to start?"

I licked my lower lip, then nodded, pulling my arm from Carlisle's for the first time in two hours. I took a deep breath, bent down beside Mother's grave and grabbed a handful of dirt before throwing it onto her coffin. "I love you, Mommy." I whispered.

I walked around to Edward's, and repeated the same ritual. "I love you, brother."

**A/N: Okay, so, towards the end, it got kinda sad, I know. Real tear-jerker, huh? I got the idea of the caskets on horse-drawn carriages because I had a friend who died in 6th grade from Leukemia, and we walked through town to the cemetery behind a horse drawn carriage that his was on… So, I guess I gave him a mini- shoutout. **

**Thank you for reading, though! I'm really loving writing this story! It's flowing a lot more easier that **_**Foster **_**ever did! **

**Please Review! Remember, if you review, you get a sneak peek!**

**Laters,**

**~Em **


	5. Life Does Go On

**A/N: Okay, this chapter is a time skip. Not very long, though, just three months! But, a lot has changed in Alexa's life. Find out what I mean by that:) Enjoy!**

**Thank you to **_**MACMONKEY **_**and **_**TwilightVampireGirl12**_ **for your reviews! I appreciate it more than you'll ever know!**

***All Mistakes are mine because, to quote Hannah Montana, "Nobody's Perfect.***

***The title of this chapter does sound like a song, but I'm not for sure if it is one, so… If it is, it belongs to its respective owner(s)!***

***Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga! I do, however, own Alexa!***

**Chapter Five: Life Does Go On (APOV)**

_Three Months Later_

Saying it'd been a long three months, would be an understatement.

I'd moved out of the house I'd shared with my family and in with Catherine. Her parents didn't like the thought of me living alone, so after some debate, I packed up my clothes, some pictures, and other necessities, and left. It was hard at first, but I knew that it would be harder staying in a house full of memories of the family I lost. I kept the house, though, which is now legally in my name, thanks to Lyndon Michaels. He'd pulled strings after the last funeral, as to ensure me that I'd keep the house.

Nathaniel and I had also started courting, with the permission of Catherine's parents, who'd become more and more like mine every day. A few weeks after the funeral, Carlisle came by while I was packing, telling me that he'd gotten a job offer in New York City. We spent hours talking- me telling him I'd be fine, him making me promise him that I'd get a letter to him if I needed anything. At the end of the day, I'd lost another family member, despite not being of blood relations.

I had spoken to him since he moved, at least once every two weeks. After I'd speak to him I'd always feel better. I told him how I moved out of the house and in with Catherine, how I'd started courting. He didn't seem to really like that, but still told me that he was happy for me- "you deserve this."

I went back to school two weeks after Mother and Edward's funeral. Luckily, I hadn't missed much, so it didn't affect my place in school. The stares I got were more than annoying. Everyone now knew me as the "girl whose entire family died." I'd seen most classmates and teachers at the funeral, but the ones who didn't attend still avoided me every chance they got. I didn't care, though. They didn't know what it was like. They didn't know how much I wished I had gotten sick, too. They didn't know anything.

"Alexa! Nathaniel's here!" Catherine yelled up the stairs.

To say Michelle and Catherine were happy that Nathaniel and I were together was yet another understatement. They'd been pushing me for years that we should be together, so they thought that it was perfect.

"All right. I'm coming down now."

He wouldn't tell me where we were going today, just to dress comfortable. I wore a long blue and white floral print dress with three-quarter sleeves and a small hat. My long bronze curls were pinned up in an elegant bun, and I wore one of Mother's necklaces- a small gold pendant that held two black and white photographs, one of Edward and me, and one of her and Father.

After double checking that everything was in place, I walked out of my newly acquired room and downstairs where Catherine and Nathaniel were speaking to Landon and Nancy- her parents. They all stood as I approached.

"Are you ready?" Nathaniel asked me, a smile pulling at his lips.

I bit my lip to hide my own smile, and nodded.

"Nathaniel, have her home by five." Landon told him, trying to be stern.

Nathaniel nodded and looked directly at Landon. "Yes, Sir." He offered me his elbow and I took it without hesitation.

As soon as we were out the door, I asked him: "Are you ever going to tell me where we are going?"

He grinned at me. "No. You'll find out when we get there. I have to make a little stop first, though, to pick up something we'll need."

I was confused. "What do we need to pick up?"

His arm wrapped around my shoulder, gently squeezing me into his side. "You'll find out soon enough."

We walked a few more blocks before he pulled me to an apartment building. "This is it. We won't be here long, just long enough to pick up the thing we need."

I glanced up at him. "You're being really cryptic. You know that, right?"  
>He grinned again and nodded. "Yes, actually. I do."<p>

I smiled back at him slightly and looked at the building in front of us. "Good."

Nathaniel led us up the cement stoop and into the tall concrete building. He then led me up two flights of stairs and down a hallway until he stopped at apartment 3B. **(A/N: For all you Pretty Little Liar fans!:D)** He knocked on the door quickly, and as soon as his hand left the wood, the door was open. The man standing at the door was tall, about Nathaniel's height who stood only about an inch shorter than Edward. He had dirty blonde hair that was partially hidden from the small cap sitting on his head, and was wearing a white long shirt, black breeches, and matching suspenders. His eyes were bright blue, the grin on his face just as brilliant.

"Nathaniel! George told me you were coming by to pick this-" he held a wooden picnic basket up, "-up, though I'm no sure why you would need-" He stopped when he noticed me. "Oh. Well. Maybe now I do know." The man grinned again and lifted my hand to his lips. "Hello, Miss. I'm Jeremy Long, Nathaniel's best friend. And you are?"

I smiled back hesitantly. "Lexie Masen."

Jeremy's head cocked to the side. "Lexie, huh? Short for something?"

I nodded. "Alexa."

"Why, that's a pretty name for a pretty lady like yourself. Why do you go by 'Lexie'?"

"Um, my brother called me that." I said shortly.

"Well, tell your brother I said that-"

Nathaniel cut him off. "Jeremy. Just give me the basket." He turned to me. "Jeremy doesn't go to the same school as us. He graduated from a private school last year. Our mothers are best friends, so we were always together growing up."

I nodded.

Jeremy handed Nathaniel the basket. "Why didn't you tell us about this lovely lady, Nate? She's quite a looker."

"I didn't want her to run off." Nathaniel said sarcastically, taking the basket from his friend.

Jeremy laughed. "What makes you think she wouldn't run off now?"

Nathaniel shrugged. "I trust her. If she wanted to run, she wouldn't be here now."

_How true that is…_

Jeremy shrugged back at Nathaniel. "Makes sense, I guess. But, darling, if you get tired of him, I'll be here waiting." he told me, a gleam in his eyes.

"Okay, we're leaving now. Tell George I said thank you." Nathaniel told him, turning us to face the way we came.

"Will do, Sir." Jeremy tipped his hat, then was gone.

"Who's George?" I asked as we left the building.

"His brother. He and his wife left last night to go to Virginia, where her family's from. Her sister is sick, or something, so he came over to my house and informed me that he'd leave the basket with Jeremy." he rolled his eyes. "If there's nothing left in it, I wouldn't be surprised."

"What _is_ in it?" I asked again.

He laughed. "It's a picnic basket. What do you think is in it?"

"So we're having a picnic?"

"Yes. I thought we'd go to the park, sit by the lake, and eat. How does that sound?" He looked down at me.

I smiled and answered honestly. "Perfect. It sounds perfect."

Ten minutes later, we were sitting on a plaid white and red blanket facing Lake Michigan. Nathaniel had packed cheese sandwiches, strawberries, grapes, and water.

I took a bite of a strawberry, and nearly moaned as the bittersweet taste touched my tongue. "This is quite possibly the best strawberry I've ever eaten." I grinned.

"They are really good, aren't they?" Nathaniel grinned back, taking his own strawberry.

I nodded, and finished the berry in my hand. I took off my hat, picked up another strawberry, and laid back against the soft blanket, looking up at the sky.

"It's so beautiful here." I murmured, glancing up at the clouds that hit the sun.

"It is." he agreed with me again. I turned to look at him, but he wasn't facing the sky like I was. He was looking at me. I blushed and turned back to the sky. "Hey, don't go all shy on me now. You _are_ beautiful. Has no one ever told you that?"

"Other than my family? No." I answered honestly.

"Alexa, all of these years, not one man came up to you and wanted to court you?" he said in a disbelieving tone.

I shook my head. "I'm not very noticeable, Nathaniel. You don't have to pretend I am."

He shook his head back at me. "No. You _are noticeable_, Alexa. That's the thing. All the men at school talk about you constantly. You have been the main subject of every conversation for _years_. It's hard to believe that not one male person in our school of five hundred has went to your father and asked permission to court you."

"Well, they can't do that now. You had to ask Landon, remember?"

"Yes, but I still asked. Every time I look at you, Alexa, or pick you up to do simple things like go to the park for a picnic, I can't stop thinking of how lucky I am. If I thought I was happy with Marie, then I don't know what to call this with you. I truly do not. You're everything I could've thought to hope for. _Everything._ And to know that somebody couldn't overcome the fear of being put down… It's almost sickening."

I was gaping at him. "Nathaniel… I'm not that special. Trust me. I'm nothing important."

"Don't say that. Because you are. Lexie, you are an amazing person. You've lost your entire family, yet you don't show how broken you are inside." He shook his head. "To hear you say that you're not special… It's inconceivable."

I didn't reply.

"You don't see yourself very clearly, do you?" he asked quietly.

I looked into his green eyes and smiled slightly. "I guess not."

**A/N: There ya go. I actually had some fun writing this chapter… I liked getting to know Nathaniel a little bit more. What did you think of Jeremy? I didn't expect him to show up- it just kinda happened. But I like him… What do you think? Review to let me find out!**

**The next update will be as soon as possible! I promise!**

**Laters, **

**~Em**


	6. The Perfect Day

**A/N: Here's chapter 6! There is another time skip, but this time it's a considerable amount of time. No as much as it could be, though. Ummm… Little warning. I don't know much about courtship, but from what I do know, is that it's very conservative. What I do know is what I've seen on **_**19 Kids and Counting**_**, so if I get something wrong, I'm truly sorry. Also, there are a lot of flashbacks, but I couldn't figure out a way to get around them. Hope you like it!**

**-A big thanks goes to **_**TwilightVampireGirl12**_ **for reviewing! You satisfy my addiction, lol!**

**-*Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Twilight Saga! All recognizable characters belong to Stephenie Meyer! **

**Chapter Six:The Perfect Day (APOV)**

_One Year Later_

The day had finally come.

The day when I would become _the _Mrs. Nathaniel Benton. The day when I knew that I would never willingly be left alone. The day I'd dreamed of my entire life.

The proposal had been more than perfect. Nathaniel proposed to me in the park, the spot that had become _our_ spot, right next to the lake. The ring had been left in the bottom of the basket, right underneath the container of strawberries, which he knew I'd go for first.

**FLASHBACK:**

"_What all did you pack this time?" I teased him. He was laying on the picnic blanket, resting with his elbows behind him, his feet going toward the water, and his head turned toward me. I sat on my knees next to him._

_He grinned. "Why don't you look and see?"_

_I smiled, and reached for the basket. I opened it. "Ooh, strawberries!" _

_Strawberries had become a favorite of mine. Granted, they always had been, but ever since the first time we came here, they'd been with every meal we ate together. There was one time, when he had to go out of town with his family for a few days, that he even got Jeremy- who we spent more time with- to drop a crate off at my house with a note that said: "Have to keep your addiction fed somehow. Hope you like them. See you soon. -Nathaniel". _

_Catherine and Michelle had "oohed" and "ahhed" about the way were together ever since word got around school that we were courting. I admit, once it got around, I was worried that Maria, Nathaniel's ex, wouldn't really like it. Of course, that wouldn't have stopped me, but it would've made things really awkward. But she took it the exact opposite- she claimed that she always thought we'd be a good couple, even when _they _were together. _

"_It just goes to show," she said, "that we were never meant to be. He found you, and I've never seen him so happy." _

_Even though I hadn't really cared for her approval before, it was still nice to have. _

"_Of course," Nathaniel laughed now. "It wouldn't be a picnic if we had no strawberries." _

_I smiled, lifted the container out of the basket, set it down beside me, and looked back in the basket. My smile faded. Right where the strawberries was once placed, set a ring. It had a white gold band, with a round diamond in the center. Around the edges of the diamond, it almost looked like it had bits of sapphire. It was beautiful. _

_My hand shot up to my mouth, and I looked from Nathaniel, who was sitting straight up now and looking at me, and back to the ring. _

_Nathaniel gently picked the ring up from the basket, and went down on one knee. _

_My breathing stopped. _

"_Alexa Masen, I know it hasn't been long since we started seeing each other. But I also know that it doesn't take long for one to fall in love. I've never, _ever _felt like this before. You make me feel so… Alive inside. You never fail to make me smile, or laugh. Every time I look at you it's like I'm finally taking a breath of fresh air. Like I'm finally living. I never want that feeling to go away. I don't know if you reciprocate those feelings or not- I guess we're about to find out." I laughed. "But if you do say yes, then I promise that I'll spend the rest of my life making sure you're happy. That's all I really want for you is happiness. This past year has been so hard on you… And I never want to see you like that again. So, without further ado, will you, Alexa Hope Masen, do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my wife?"_

_I smiled at him through blurred vision. "Like you even need to ask!" I exclaimed, thrusting out my left hand. _

"_I know, but I still need to hear you say it." he grinned. _

_I smiled back. "What do you need to hear, Mr. Benton?"_

_He groaned, throwing his head back with a small chuckle. "Lexa!" _

_I laughed, and crawled over to him, kissing his cheek. "Yes." I whispered in his ear. "Yes, yes, a hundred times yes!"_

_In a second he was on his feet, pulling me up by the waist and twirling around, all while shouting, "Yes!"_

_He gingerly sat me down on the ground again, and held up the ring which he, shockingly, didn't drop. I held out my left hand again, and he placed the ring onto my finger, kissing the diamond as he did so. _

_It was my first day of forever with Nathaniel Benton._

**END FLASHBACK**

I came home later that day to Catherine standing by the front door. The second I stepped over the threshold she was picking up my left hand to examine it. When she saw what she wanted to, she squealed.

**FLASHBACK:**

"_Eeek! He did it! He actually did it!" _

_I laughed at her. "Did you really doubt him that much?" _

"_No, but he was so nervous I thought he'd talk himself out of it last minute." she explained. "After he came and asked Father for permission, he came to me. He wanted an idea of what to do. When I told him I had no idea, he looked so defeated." _

_I laughed. "He didn't look nervous when he asked. If fact, I didn't even expect something was wrong." _

_She laughed with me. "Well, that's changed since last week." _

_I was shocked. "Last _week_? He's been planning this since _last week_?"_

_Catherine nodded. "Uh-huh."_

"_Huh. No wonder he was so calm then." I relaxed. _

_She laughed again. "When he came over he was afraid you'd say no. I guess he finally got it through that thick skull of his that you would say the opposite." _

"_I can't believe he doubted me!" I exclaimed sarcastically. _

"_Clearly, it was an error in judgement." she agreed. _

"_So…" I started, dragging her by the hand to sit on the couch. "Will you be my maid of honor?"_

_She squealed again. "Really?"_

_I laughed. "Of course. It's the least I could do. You let me stay here, share your parents… I see you every day. You've seen me at my best and my worst, and you stood by me. I want you to stand by me when I say 'I do'." _

_She grabbed my hands, tears filling her eyes. "Then of course I will. You're the sister I never had." _

_I smiled tearfully. "You don't know how much that means."_

"_Okay. So. Planning. What flowers were you thinking?"_

**END FLASHBACK**

We threw ourselves into planning. Catherine, her mother, Nathaniel's mother, and I had the planning done in nearly three hours- from the flowers to the food that would be served, the guests to the place.

It would be perfect.

We found the dress on Day Two of Planning. Ironically enough, I'd been out with Nathaniel when I saw it in the window of a sewing shop. I showed no interest in it then, not wanting him to catch on to the fact that I knew it was my dress. I went back later that night with Catherine, and purchased it. It was a semi-fitting piece of white charmeuse with silver trimming along the bottom. It was comfortable yet beautiful at the same time. I'd planned on wearing Mother's string of pearls that Father had gotten her for their wedding day, and a white flower with a blue diamond center in my hair, which would be down and curly, with two locks pulled to the back of my head. The veil was knotted on the side of my head, almost like something you'd see from a southern wedding. But I liked it, and didn't care.

The church was more like a cathedral with its stain-glass windows and natural light filling the chapel. It was to be decorated with blue tulle and white roses, and silver ribbon at the end of each pew. The isle would be covered with a white sheet to set off the blue rose petals the flower girl- Nathaniel's little sister Madeline- would toss.

The wedding part consisted of Catherine, Michelle, and, believe it or not, Maria. I needed one person, and since she was excited for us, I thought _oh well._ We'd actually gotten close since the engagement. Nathaniel had George, whom I met a few weeks after meeting Jeremy, Jeremy himself, and his older brother Luka.

Catherine's father would walk be down the aisle. There would be a picture of my lost family sitting on the table beside Catherine's mother, a vase sitting beside it. Every bridesmaid would put a white rose in the vase, and I would put in three blue ones. Catherine, her mother, and Nathaniel's mother would separate them into three piles and take them to the cemetery.

Nathaniel had planned the honeymoon from start to finish, though he wouldn't tell me anything about it.

"You get to keep your secrets until last minute, then so do I." he'd said.

I'd agreed to let him have his fun, but told him not to go over the top. I wanted it to be simple. Just having him there was all that mattered.

I was standing alone in front of a mirror in one of the rooms in the back of the church, fiddling with the pearl necklace around my neck when Catherine walked in with a huge smile on her face.

"So? How's the bride?"

I smiled weakly. "I'm okay. Nervous. A little sad." I answered honestly.

Her smile faltered. "Sad? Why are you sad? This should be the best day of your life! Oh, you're not having second thoughts are you?"

I turned from the mirror to look at her directly. "Catherine, calm down. I'm not having second thoughts. This is the best decision I've ever made. But… I can't help but think of my family."

Catherine's face sombered. "Lexie… That's normal. You miss them."

"I just keep thinking that it's supposed to be _my_ dad walking me down the aisle today. _My_ mother should've been the one helping me plan… _My _brother was supposed to me the one who waited up all night waiting for me to get back from a day out with Nathaniel. _He_ should've been the one who told Nathaniel that he was no good for me, even when _he_ knew Nathaniel was." I shook my head as tears rolled down my face. "But they're not here. They haven't been for nearly a year. They don't get to see me today, be a part of my wedding, because some stupid disease had to take them from me. Leave me all alone."

"You know they didn't do that on purpose." she said comfortingly. "Lexa, I came here because there's some on here who I think may be able to help you more than I can."

I looked at her, confused, and wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Who?"

She turned her head towards the door and said, "Come in."

The door opened and in stepped Carlisle. I'd sent him an invitation enclosed in yet another letter I had sent him. I hadn't heard back from him, but I guess he'd gotten it.

"You look beautiful, Alexa." he told me. I ran over to him and flung my arms around his neck.

"Thank you for coming." I muttered from the crook of his neck.

He chuckled. "Like I'd miss this."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" I asked as I pulled away from him.

"I wanted to surprise you. I wrote a letter to Catherine's mother, telling her I'd be here but not to tell you." he replied with a smile. "Now, can you please tell me why you're crying on your wedding day?"

I laughed once, humorlessly. "Don't I have the right to shed a few tears?"

"Happy tears, yes. Sad tears, no." he answered. "Your family wouldn't want you to cry for them, Alexa. Today of all days."

"I know. But that doesn't make it any easier."

"Of course it doesn't." he told me. "But that still doesn't give you an excuse."

Michelle interrupted then. "Are you ready? It's about to start."

I took a shaky breath. "Yeah- yes. I'm ready. Catherine, where's your father?"

"Oh, yeah… About that…"

Landon stepped into the room this time. "Lexa. I don't think it's me who needs to walk you down the aisle."

"What?"

He looked over my shoulder at Carlisle. "Dr. Cullen was there for you during the hardest time in your life. He should be there for the best."

"Okay, the music is about to start." Catherine said out loud. "Maddy," she said to Nathaniel's sister, "go on. Remember, toss the petals, _not_ the rings." Since neither Nathaniel or me had a young boy in the family, we'd decided to let Maddy take the rings.

Madeline gave a toothy smile and nodded enthusiastically.

Catherine smiled back. "Okay. Go."

Maddy turned and started walking down the aisle.

After Maddy went, it was Maria, who walked with Jeremy. Then Michelle and George. The maid of honor and the best man walked after that- also known as Catherine and Luka.

Then me.

"Remember, once you hear the music starting up, you go." Catherine told me, and went with Luka to the front of the church.

"Are you okay?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes." I whispered to him.

"Good. Because it's our turn."

The doors to the chapel opened and I saw one hundred people stand up.

My breath was gone again.

Carlisle began walking, and whispered to me: "Breathe."

I took a deep breath and looked forward. When my eyes met his, I knew that I could do this.

The walk to the front of the church passed by in a blur. All I could see is Nathaniel's green eyes.

"Who gives this woman to this man?" the minister asked.

"I do." Carlisle replied, kissing the side of my head, and put my hand into Nathaniel's. "Take care of her, Son."

Nathaniel smiled. "Of course, Sir. I wouldn't dream of it."

"Good." Carlisle went to go sit down.

I don't remember the ceremony. I just stared into Nathaniel's eyes. When I finally tuned in, it was the ending.

"I do." his voice rang through the church.

"Do you, Alexa, take Nathaniel as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."  
>"By the power vested in me and the state of Illinois, I know pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may now kiss the bride."<p>

Nathaniel's hands cupped my face as he gently pressed his lips to mine.

**A/N: There it is folks! Chapter Six! Links will be posted on my profile for the dresses, flowers… Everything. So… Make sure you check that out!**

**Again, thanks for reading!  
>Please review! I love them!<strong>

**Laters,**

**~Em**


	7. Totally Worth The Icing

**A/N: Thank you to **_**MACMONKEY **_**and **_**TwilightVampireGirl12**_ **for reviewing! Love them! We broke 10 reviews for chapter 6… Why don't we try to get more, huh? I am **_**so **_**sorry for the long wait! For some reason, this chapter gave me a huge case of writer's block! I knew what I wanted to happen, just not how to write it down! Anyway… Here you go! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Seven:**

The reception was held in _our _park, which was luckily just across the street. The white gazebo was decorated with more blue tulle and white roses. The recreation center was small- about twenty tables under a roof facing Lake Michigan. Each table had a white table cloth with a center piece made of the same flowers the bridesmaids carried. The wedding cake a three tiered white cake with blue roses made of frosting, and a blue ribbon separating the top and middle tier- sat on one of the middle tables. The topper was another "something old" piece. It was the wedding cake topper that my Mother and Father had. The woman had on a long white dress, her bronzish hair up in an elegant bun with her veil underneath it, her hands holding a bouquet of white flowers around her husband's neck. The man was in a white suit- much like Nathaniel's today- his brown hair was slicked back, and his hands around her waist. In one word, it was beautiful.

Maddie and a two other little girls were feeding the ducks the rolls from the buffet, giggling as they watched the white, feathery animal eat it. People were gathered around talking, laughing. Nathaniel and I had greeted all of the guests and were now talking to Carlisle, Jeremy, Catherine, and Michelle, three of which were gushing over how beautiful the ceremony turned out to be. I laughed and smiled as they spoke of the horrors of planning an event like this. Nathaniel kept glancing between us and Maddie, making sure she didn't fall in the lake.

"I knew it would be beautiful, but never in a million years would I think it'd look like this!" Catherine gushed to Jeremy for the fifth time in the last hour.

I sighed, and glanced up at Nathaniel, who smiled.

"Time to cut the cake!" Corinne, Nathaniel's mother, yelled.

"Ready, Mrs. Benton?" he whispered in my ear.

I grinned. "Always,"

I was suddenly blinded by bright flash. Catherine had hired a photographer, and he'd been going around all day snapping pictures of anything.

"Perfect!" the boy, who couldn't be older than us, exclaimed. He was from Italy, his family just having immigrated, but he spoke fluent English. His eyes were nearly the exact shade of green as Nathaniel's, a little more dull, though. His hair was a dirty blonde, closer to a brown color.

"Thank you, Nikolas." Nathaniel said.

"You're welcome, Sir. You want a lot of memories of this day, yes?"

"Absolutely." Nathaniel grinned.

"Nathaniel! Lexa! Come on!" Corinne yelled again.

I laughed, and Nathaniel rolled his eyes.

"Let's go before _she _goes off on us."

I let him lead me to the cake table and pulled me behind the cake. Carlisle handed me the knife.

"Be careful. Last thing you want is to end up in the hospital on your wedding day." he warned.

I laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. How do we do this?"

"Our piece will be from the top tier, then we'll take it off and keep it until next year." Nathaniel informed me.

"Plus, you get to shove cake in his face!" Catherine yelled.

I brightened. "Really?"

She nodded excitedly, and the crowd of family and friends laughed.

I pouted and turned to Nathaniel. "Were you not going to tell me that part?"

He laughed. "I would never deny your fun, sweetheart." He kissed my cheek.

I smiled again. He came to stand beside me and enclosed our hands around the knife. He gently pushed the knife in our hands down into the soft cake. I removed one of my hands from the knife and grabbed a plastic plate from beside the cake. Nathaniel gently put the slice we'd just cut onto the plate and sat the knife down, grabbing two forks instead. He handed one of the forks to me and used it to cut a bite off the slice.

"Okay, I'll make you a deal," he started, grinning, "I promise not to put this all over your face, and you do the same."

"What?" I feigned shock. "No way! I gotta have fun some how! You chicken?"

He chuckled. "No. Okay, come on. Shove cake in my face."

I sighed, exasperated. "Well, I can't now! You're expecting it!"

He threw his head back, laughing, along with everyone else watching us. "Fine. I'll forget."

I smiled again. "Yay!"

He chuckled again and brought the piece of cake to my lips. I grinned at him and took a bite of the cake. I chewed, and the audience around us clapped.

"Your turn." Nathaniel told me, and the brightest plan came to my mind.

I picked up the plate that held the slice of cake and pretended to cut a bite off. Then, slammed the plate in his face.

By the time he'd cleared the blue icing from his eyes, everyone was laughing. I looked up at him and smiled sweetly.

He chuckled. "I set myself up for that one."

"She got you good!" Jeremy yelled.

"Yes, you did." I laughed.

"Well, it's no fair that _I'm_ the one covered in icing." he said, smirking.

_Oh, no._

I stopped smiling. Our friends and family were quiet as they watched to see what Nathaniel was going to do.

"You wouldn't." I gasped, stepping back.

He smiled again. "Oh, I would."

I stepped back again and he stepped forward.

"Come on, Lexa. You chicken now?" he smirked.

"No. But I will _not _let you get icing on me."

"We'll see about that." He grabbed my by the waist gently, pulling me to him. I was laughing so hard I couldn't have pretended to struggle. He planted a kiss on my lips, getting the blue icing all over my face. Everybody watching laughed.

When he pulled away, he was smiling again.

"That was totally worth the icing," I said breathlessly.

"Totally."

**A/N: Short, I know, but I wanted to end this chapter on a sweet note. I wrote this during my first period these last few days, but it didn't go the way I wanted it to in the beginning. About the second page it got easier to write. I'm sure my classmates think I'm crazy since I've been smiling like an idiot all day writing the icing part. Did anybody notice who I put in this chapter? If you did, review and tell me who:)**

**Fifty Shades of Grey comes out next week! Who else is as excited as I am?**

**Laters, **

**~Em **


	8. The Honeymoon

**A/N: Thank you to **_**AlexandraaCullen**_ **and **_**MACMONKEY **_**for your wonderful reviews! **

**Not only was this chapter was kind of hard to write, but something happened with my computer and fanfiction wouldn't allow me to submit this chapter into Doc Manager for the last four days, so sorry for the delay… Actually… Really hard to write. Also, I know I rated this story M, but I don't think that the "lemon chapters" are going to show up until later. I still feel like Alexa is a little innocent, and so I kind of need her to lose it a little bit more- which, I promise will happen eventually. Later chapters that I've written so far are pretty evident of that. So… Sorry if I don't go as… **_**into detail**_ **as some of you may have hoped, but it will happen, and- I think- soon! So… don't quit on me now! Thanks in advance:) **

**Oh, and how many of you saw Fifty Shades of Grey? I did for a Ladies Only Showing in a town a few minutes away on Thursday night, and I LOVED IT! Cannot wait until the other movies! **

**Okay, I'm stopping now. Please enjoy!**

***I do NOT own the Twilight Saga!***

***I listened to **_**Thinking Out Loud **_**by Ed Sheeran writing the beginning of this chapter. If you want, you can too:)***

**Chapter Eight: Honeymoon (APOV)**

We were leaving the ceremony the next hour.

Carlisle had offered his advice during the Father/Daughter dance which he gladly took. I didn't know how much I appreciated him being here until then.

**FLASHBACK:**

"_I didn't think when I planned this reception that this dance would be included," I confessed to Carlisle during the customary father/daughter dance that had been spontaneously added minutes before. _

_He chuckled. "I doubt you did. Your situation wouldn't have allowed the… Usual dance, would it?"_

_I laughed. "I guess not."_

"_Alexa, you do know that if you need anything at any time, you can call me, correct?" he asked suddenly. _

"_Of course." I said, shocked. "What brings this up?"_

_He shrugged. "I just want you to know that I will always be there for you. I promised your mother and brother. I may not always be with you, but you can always reach me. Okay?"_

_I nodded, speechless. _

"_They'd be proud of you, you know." _

"_Who?"_

"_Your family. You've grown into an amazing young woman, Alexa. I don't doubt that they'd be delighted to have you as their daughter." He wiped a stray tear from my cheek and kissed my forehead. "Don't ever forget that. Even when you have your own daughter." he smiled. _

_I laughed through my tears. _

**END FLASHBACK**

I hadn't been particularly looking for someone to tell me my late family would be proud of me. But Carlisle's words made me feel better.

Nathaniel and I left the park in a Model T that his grandfather had given him after he passed. Catherine and Michelle had tied streamers and balloons to the back of it, and taped a sign that read "Just Married" to the back, as well.

I'd changed into a short sleeved, pale blue dress with a pink wrap around the waist that tied into a bow and flowed to the floor with the rest of the dress. It was flowy and comfortable, and perfect for the drive to who-knows-where.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going, _now_?" I asked for the upteenth time.

He just laughed again. "Like I told you five minutes ago, _no._ This is my plan. That's all you need to know until we get there."

"Hmph."

He chuckled again and continued driving.

_Three And a Half Hours Later_

"Alexa. Darling, wake up."

I jumped a little at the soft voice whispering near me. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust. It was dark now, and we were parked in front of a restaurant.

"Wha?" I muttered, wiping my eyes. "Where are we?"

"Iowa City. You fell asleep before we got out of Chicago." he laughed.

"Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I apologized, still wiping the sleep from my eyes.

He laughed. "For what, Lexa? You were tired. It's been a long day."

I smiled. "An _amazing _day."

He grinned back. "Absolutely." Nathaniel leaned in and gently kissed me. "Now. What do you say about going in to get something to eat?"

"Sure." I smiled.

"Okay. Stay there." He winked, got out of the car, and walked over my side. He opened the door with one hand, and helped me out with the other.

"Thank you, kind sir." I smiled.

"The pleasure is mine, madame." he laughed.

"So, how long have we been on the road?" The sun was setting, a lot darker than what I fell asleep to. My arm looped through his and he patted my hand.

"Ah, about three hours."

I smiled sweetly, batted my eyelashes, and looked him in the eye. "Are you ready to tell me where we're going yet?"

"Nope." He grinned.

I pouted. "Why not?"

"Because then it wouldn't be a surprise."

"But… But I don't like surprises."

"I can see that." He chuckled. "It's good to know for the future."

I brightened at the mention of the future. "It is, isn't it?"

Nathaniel put his arm around my shoulders and kissed the side of my head. "It is."

_Thirty Minutes Later_

"I just don't understand what would make him _think_ he could do that?" I said thirty minutes later as we walked out of the restaurant.

Nathaniel laughed, and ran a hand through his hair, making my mind jump directly to Edward. "I- I don't know, he's Jeremy. Who knows how he rationalizes his thinking on a daily basis."

"But… No normal, sane person, in their right mind, would even _consider_ jumping out of a three story window."

"I know. That's what I told him in the hospital twenty minutes later while the doctor was putting a brace on his leg."

I laughed. "So he just decided that he could jump out of a three story window and land on his feet?"

"Apparently, yes. And he somewhat did, just… broke his leg in the process." He grinned.  
>I shook my head. "Remind me to never make a bet with him."<p>

"Trust me, I will."

"Have you done anything that crazy?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"As crazy as Jeremy?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, no, not as crazy as something Jeremy did, but… Along the lines." It was amazing that even after a year of courtship and a day of marriage, we were still learning about each other.

"Uh… That's something you'd have to ask my mom… I don't really remember."

I glanced over at him with squinting eyes. "Are you just saying that because you don't want to admit you have?"

He chuckled. "Maybe. But what about you? Have you ever done something crazy?"

I thought about you. "Umm… When Edward and I were little, maybe five, my grandfather had a farm out in the countryside- not like acres and acres of land, but he did have a stable with a few horses, some chickens, and some pigs. Well, once, my mother decided that Edward and I should go and spend the weekend up there while she and Father went to a conference in Evanston. It was fine, at first. That is… Until I convinced Edward that you could ride a pig just as well as you could a horse."

"This isn't going to end well for Edward, is it?" Nathaniel laughed, opening the passenger door to the car. I got in and waited for him to climb in before continuing.

"Well, it doesn't end well for either of us. Anyway, we both decided to jump on one of the pigs, and ride it around the farm. But as soon as we got on them, they went crazy. Edward's immediately went squealing around, throwing him in a huge puddle of mud. Mine went straight for the barbed-wire fence." I smiled grimly.

"Oh, no…"

"Yeah. The worst part was that our birthday was a few days away. Edward had a cut on his knee, so it wasn't bad. _I_, on the other hand, had cuts all over my face."

"Oh, honey." he laughed.

"Yes. But, I guess I deserved it. I just really thought you could ride a pig." I pouted a little. "Ruined my five-year-old dreams."

"The biggest dreams you had as a five-year-old was being able to ride a pig? You must've been an easy child to please."

"Well, no. I wanted to be a princess."

"Of course." He grinned.

"What about you? What did you want to be?"

"A pirate."

"A pirate?"

"Yes. A pirate."

"May I ask why?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know. I don't even remember where I first heard of pirates. But I remember always covering one eye and saying 'aye, matey'."

I laughed. "You know, I can imagine you as a pirate."

"Really?"

"Yes. I can. You, commanding a ship with an eyepatch, peg leg, and one of those weird-looking beards. Okay, maybe not so much the beard, but the eyepatch and peg leg, definitely."

He laughed at me. "Why, thank you, m'lady."

"You're very welcome, kind sir."

_Three Days Later_

The first three stops weren't part of the honeymoon, but we still treated them like it.

The first night, we drove four and a half more hours, stopping in Lincoln, Nebraska at around two in the morning. Our wedding night was magical- something I'd never imagined, yet knew I wanted it with him. Nathaniel was gentle, more gentle than what I'd expected, but I knew that being rough with me wasn't Nathaniel.

The second day, we drove eight more hours to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The third day, another eight hours to Las Vegas.

Even after this many states and this many hours in a car, he _still_ wouldn't tell me where we were going.

So when we got up the fourth day, and I asked- yet again- where we were going, I hadn't expected him to tell me: "You'll see in a few hours."

"We're close?" I asked.

"Yes."

"How close?"  
>He shrugged. "That, I don't know the answer to. We'll see."<p>

An hour later, I knew what state he'd planned.

"_California?_ Wha-? How? Why are we in California?" I exclaimed as we passed the "Welcome to California" sign.

"For our honeymoon, of course."

"Where are we going in California?"

"You'll see." He smirked.

"I really don't like those words anymore, you know."

"I doubt you do. But that's the only answer I'm going to give you."

I pouted, crossed my arms over my chest, and watched the scenery pass by through the window. I heard him chuckle.

_Four Hours Later_

"Welcome to Los Angeles, Lexie."

His soothing, soft voice brought me out of a light sleep. I smiled a little, my eyes still closed. When I opened them, I noticed that we were, again, sitting in a parking lot, only, this time, of a hotel. It was two stories high, and many people were going in and out through the double doors.

"Huh?" I muttered, rubbing my eyes.

"We're here. In Los Angeles."

I shot up. "Los Angeles? Seriously?"

I remember the day Nathaniel and I had spoken about coming to Los Angeles. There weren't any real plans involved- or, at least, in my case there hadn't been. It was the one year anniversary of my family's death, so we were at the cemetery, discussing what places we'd like to visit while we still have the chance.

"I'd love to go to Los Angeles." I'd told him.

"Why?"

I'd shrugged. "It's always warm down there… You have beaches instead of lakes… It's literally the farthest away from where we are now."

"What do you mean by that?" he'd asked, curious.

"Like… It's on the opposite side of the country. You have seven states, thirty some hours, to forget about anything you left behind. Unless you go to a different country, which, one day I hope to, you can't get any farther away. Does that make sense?"

He'd nodded. "Yes. It makes plenty of sense."

Now, I only whispered: "You remembered."

"It's further away than any other place we'd mentioned. So, I figured, why not?"

"Nathaniel… This is… Perfect. The best thing I've ever gotten. I'm speechless." I said, still flabbergasted.

He chuckled. "I had a feeling you'd like it."

"How much longer do we have before we have to leave?" I asked, excited.

"Two weeks from today." he replied.

"What? I thought it was two weeks from-"

"From the wedding? No. Two weeks from today. We're leaving on day fourteen that we're here. It'll take another four days to get back to Chicago. So, technically, we'll be gone from Chicago for twenty- two days total. That's counting the four days it took us to get here."

"So we have eighteen more days before we're back home?"

He nodded.

I flung my arms around his neck, and squeezed my eyes shut, willing the tears to stay at bay. "Thank you. I love it. I love _you_."

I felt him chuckle. "I thought you would like it. And, as for the part about me, I hope you do because, otherwise, marriage probably wasn't the best idea."

I laughed somewhat tearfully. "Probably not, if that was the case. Luckily for us, it isn't."

"Thank Heavens." he exclaimed quietly, before pulling back and kissing me gently.

When I pulled away, I asked: "Is this where we're staying?"

"Yes. Shall we go in?" he asked, offering his hand.

"Absolutely."

**A/N: Thank you to **_**Dawn**_ **who once told me that Los Angeles was the farthest place you could get and still stay in the U.S. I know what you meant it for was just to reiterate something for me, but I thought it was good to use it here, as well. As I mentioned before, I have more chapters ready, they're just not in order- they're future chapters. So updates can be a little sporadic depending on what the content is. **

**Thank you for reading!**

**Please Review! I love knowing that you love this story!**

**Laters Baby, **

**~Em**


	9. Home Sweet Home… Only… Not So Much

**A/N: Thanks to **_**MACMONEY**_ **for your review! I love it! I'm a little disappointed that Chapter 8 only got one review, but it did get 45 Views and 42 Visitors, bringing in a total of 456 Views and 184 Visitors for the month of February, so I can't be **_**too**_ **disappointed. Anyway… Enjoy!**

***Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Twilight Saga!***

**Chapter Nine: Home Sweet Home… Only… Not So Much (APOV)**

_Two Weeks Later_

After a wonderful two weeks spending the day shopping, on the beach, or just lounging around in the hotel room, and spending three days driving, we were finally back home.

What's that saying? "Home Sweet Home"?

Yeah… I don't really think so.

I would've agreed with that wholeheartedly two years ago, before I lost my entire family. Even though I'd gained another family and had enough friends to help keep my head on straight, they weren't blood. I'd accepted it a little over six months ago, though I knew nothing would replace my brother- the man who I shared a womb with for almost nine months, the man who I'd grown up next to- or my parents- the people who I owe my entire life to, for without them, I wouldn't be here to start with.

"What are you thinking about?"

Nathaniel's question broke me out of my reverie and I turned to look at him as we pulled into the drive.

"My family." I told him.

He squeezed my hand gently. "That's normal, Lexa."

I sighed. "Are you sure you're okay with moving here? I mean… I know it must be weird moving into a house that's been vacant for a year. I'd be okay if you wanted-"

"Lexie. This is _your _house. We can't leave it vacant for the next twenty years. Besides, I like the thought of our kids growing up in the same space you and Edward did. Second generation kids." he chuckled.

I snickered along with him. "Yes… I guess so." My mind was stuck on the way he so easily mentioned our kids. Like it was the most apparent thing in the world.

"All right. So are you ready to go in?"

I took a deep breath. "As ready as I'll ever be."

It took three loads to bring everything in from the car.

While we were gone, Catherine, Michelle, Jeremy, and Luka were going to move most of our things into my room. After much debate, Nathaniel had convinced me that we would just move into our old bedroom, giving me more time to get used to the idea that three empty bedrooms wouldn't always be empty.

All of the furniture that had been there before I moved out remained- the old recliner my father hardly left, Mother's rocking chair, and the couch that had been shared between Edward and me. The same kitchen table that I'd planned two funerals for three people over was still in the dining room. The same pots and pans that Mother cooked with are in the cabinets.

Everything was the same.

Everything was different.

I stood in the doorway for a moment, looking around the room that was once covered in dust was now spotless: floors swept and mopped, the furniture dusted. It was surreal.

"Are you okay?" Nathaniel asked, bringing in the last of our bags.  
>I sighed. "Yes. I'm fine. It's just, umm… Weird. It's too quiet."<p>

"That's understandable, Lexie."

"You keep saying that, but I don't see how. It's been nearly a year and a half that they've been gone. I shouldn't… _Feel_ this way anymore."

"Lexa. Listen to me. It's _only _nearly been a year and a half. You lost your family within two weeks. You have the right to feel weird about being in the house you shared with them."

I sighed again. "I just… I don't know. I feel like they wouldn't like how I act. Like I'm still… Not living."

He laughed. "Alexa. You got married almost three weeks ago. You're moving with your husband into the house that you grew up in. If that's not living, I don't know what is."

I paused. "I guess you're right."

He kissed the side of my head. "Of course I am," he grinned brightly.

I laughed. "You wish you always were."

"Oh, I do."

"So? How was it?" Catherine asked me the next day while I made us some tea.

"Beautiful… Magical… Romantic." I smiled, reminiscing on the honeymoon.

"Everything you could've dreamed of?"

"And more." I smiled. I put the kettle of tea, two teacups, two spoons, a bowl of cream, and a bowl of sugar on a tray and brought them over to the kitchen table where Catherine was sitting. I pulled out the chair opposite of her and sank down in it. We both rotated between adding the tea, cream, and sugar to our liking.

"Where's Nathaniel now?"

"He had to go to his father's firm for a bit- something about paperwork." Before the wedding, Nathaniel had gotten a job at his father's law firm. It wasn't the _ideal_ situation, but the pay was good, and that was enough to get started.

"Mm… How's he liking that?" she asked, taking a sip of her tea.  
>"Okay, I guess. He doesn't really talk about it."<p>

"Are you okay with that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… Are you okay with him not talking about work with you?"

"It's up to him if he does or doesn't. Of course, I'm always open to listening, but if he feels like not talking about it, that's fine, too."

I heard the front door open and close, leaving the conversation closed.

Nathaniel walked into the kitchen, his coat thrown over his shoulder, the hat still on his head. He came over and kissed my cheek.

"Hello, darling, Catherine." he greeted.

"Hello… Everything okay at the firm?" I asked, watching as he went to pour some tea.

"Everything was fine. Father just needed me to fill out some paperwork to finalize my working there."

"Oh,"

Eventually, Catherine left, leaving Nathaniel and me to ourselves. Something didn't feel right.

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem kind of… Off." I asked him while I prepared dinner that night.

"Yes, I'm fine. My father wants me to oversee this case, and I'm not for sure I'm ready. Plus, with everything going on in the east right now, there's talk of another draft." he explained.

"Another draft?" I asked, alarmed. "It's not really that bad over there, anymore, is it?"

He shrugged. "It seems so."

It was quiet for a bit while I gathered my courage. "You don't think that they'll-"

He cut me off. "Lexa. Let's not worry about that now. We don't even know for sure if it's going to happen again."

"It's just… I know that the only way you got out of it then was because you weren't of age in 1917. Even Edward talked of joining it then, but Mother refused. Now, you're of age, so who's to stop them from sending you that letter?"

He gently rubbed my cheeks with his thumb, easing away my worry. "Nobody, but we don't know if it's a for sure thing, yet. We don't need to worry about something that we don't know is set in stone."

I melted into his touch. "Okay. Then there's something I should probably tell you."

"Oh? What is it? Is something wrong?"

"I don't think so… I know we talked about it before, but never in depth…"

"We've talked about it before?"

I nodded and bit my lip. "Somewhat." I replied.

He squinted and nodded a little. "Okay… Then what is it?"

"I'm pregnant,"

**A/N: Surprise! I didn't intend to put that in here so quickly, but… It felt right. Now, I've been over World War I before, so I don't know for sure if we had a draft after 1918. But in this story, there is a premonition of one. So… I'm sorry if I offended anyone by my like of knowledge of WWI. Also, the majority of this chapter was written today in my first period, which happens to be Computer Lit. Juniors are taking the ACT today, so everything's kinda slow. I'm okay with that though!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Please, Review!**

**~Em**


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